Karma

by Charity Ferrell

  I bit the edge of my lip. "Oh, come on, Dalton. What do you think is going to happen? We're going to be one happy couple and have your family's support?" Hell no.

  "Why can't you just let it work itself out? Let us be us and go with whatever comes our way. We don't have to plan anything. What happens, happens. We both enjoy being around each other. That doesn't mean we have to go skip hand-in-hand together to the courthouse and declare our love for each other. You said you've never had a serious relationship before-"

  "What's that have to do with anything?" I asked, unhappy he was pointing out my lack of experience.

  His thumb ran over the top of my hand slowly. "Not every relationship has to have a planned final destination. I think that's where you're overthinking it. You've got to throw all your inhibitions out the window, let yourself have some fun, and we'll see what happens. Let's just hang out like we've been. If a moment comes and we want to kiss each other, then we'll kiss, sound good?"

  I groaned. "Ugh, fine. But don't hurt me, Dalton," I said, pointing my finger his way. "I don't put myself out there for people, and I'm trusting you."

  He grabbed my face and rubbed my cheeks with his thumbs. "There will be no hurting, okay, pretty girl?" My lips twitched into a smile as Mr. Piggles was pulled out of my grasp. "And who’s this ugly little thing?" he asked, his eyes studying him.

  I snatched my teddy back. "Don't talk that way about Mr. Piggles," I grumbled, looking at my bright pink, stuffed critter. His hair was nappy from being washed too many times, and the stitching was beginning to come loose. He was missing his right eye and the left one was close to matching it. He was a hot mess, like me, but I'd never be getting rid of him.

  "He's a bear," Dalton pointed out.

  "Duh. What's that have to do with anything?" I'd asked my mom for a stuffed pig one year for Christmas, but she couldn't find one. Instead, she brought me home the only thing she could find that resembled one. I made do and decided to call him Mr. Piggles to make up for his lack of piglet features.

  Dalton grabbed Mr. Piggles out of my hand and gave him a handshake before tossing him back onto the bed. He took my hand and dragged me to my feet. "I promise to take good care of her, Mr. Piggles," he laughed, pulling me out of my bedroom. "We'll be out late, so don't wait up!"

  The noisy crowd blurred past us, and I watched people talk and laugh amongst each other standing in concession lines. Guys were drinking beers and girls were dressed in skimpy dresses, taking selfies and dancing.

  "What are we doing here?" I asked, keeping up with Dalton's fast pace, my hand in his as we dodged the crowd of bodies.

  When we'd pulled into the parking lot of the giant convention building, I'd whipped out my phone to see what event was going on, but Dalton plucked it out of my hand and stuck in into his pocket. Surprises sucked; I hated being in the dark.

  "You ever heard of Slayer Town?” he asked, leading us into an abandoned hallway.

  I nodded. Slayer Town was one of the hottest bands out. Their songs were blowing up the billboard charts; their lead singer, Tristan Eisles, had just been crowned the Sexiest Man Alive.

  "They've got a show here tonight," he revealed, opening a door at the end of the hall before we walked into another. A hulking man with fat arms covered in tattoos and long hair wrapped into a ponytail stood in the isolated hallway, blocking entry to a door labeled PRIVATE. "What's going on, Bones?" Dalton asked, and they fist bumped.

  Bones grinned, showing off a row of gold teeth. "Dalton, my man," he replied. His dark eyes flashed over to me, and he gave me an appreciative smile. "Just the two of you tonight?"

  Dalton nodded, and the guy's hand around the door handle twisted before moving out of the way to allow us entry. Loud music hit my ears as I trailed behind Dalton, my hand still clutched in his. There were probably a few dozen people sitting around on multiple set-ups of couches, standing or dancing in the middle of the room. I noticed a crowded bar at the side of the room with a man behind it, slinging drinks in his hands and handing them over to people.

  "Dalton fucking Douglas! Where the fuck have you been, man?" a tall guy slumped down into a white corner-couch yelled. A skinny blonde was parked on his lap, her tanned legs hanging over the side of his. He placed both hands on each side of her hips, lifting her up and then disposing her back down before stalking our way.

  Dalton dropped my hand and wrapped his strong arms around my shoulders, pulling me firmly into his side and resting his hand on my hip. His hold on me screamed ownership, causing my throat to grow thick. "Working; gotta grow up sometime," he answered, shaking hands with the guy when he reached us.

  "Damn, that sucks, man. That's why I chose to go to graduate school. The longer my ass is in school, the longer my parents support me while I don't do shit," he laughed. His hair was blond, almost white and gelled to the side, reminding me of a Ken doll. His bright blue shirt had the first few buttons undone, showing off his tanned chest and silver chain around his neck. My eyes skimmed down, noticing his jeans and sandals. I'd been to enough college parties with Lane and Cora to know a typical frat guy when I saw one, and this guy was your typical frat guy.

  His hazel eyes darted to me, and he gave me a beaming smile. "And who’s this beauty?"

  "I'm Gabby," I said, holding out my hand.

  He grabbed my hand in his and shook it. "Sheldon; it's nice to meet you, Gabby," he said, winking. He dropped my hand, and his finger moved back and forth between Dalton and me. "And how do you two kids know each other?"

  "We're friends," Dalton answered, tightening his hold on me. My stomach dropped. Friends? I hated that we couldn't be ourselves in public because we were afraid of his parents finding out.

  Sheldon ran a wide hand over his thick jaw. "Friends, eh? Well, any friend of Dalton's is a friend of mine, gorgeous. Now get your asses over here and have a drink with me." He waved his arm out, signaling to the blonde on the couch and re-joined her side. Grabbing a bottle of alcohol, he began filling glasses up with ice and pouring liquid on top.

  I'd been in VIP rooms before. Lane’s dad always knew the band, so we’d been invited to plenty of concerts where we’d had our own rooms. Dalton's heavy hand rested on the small of my back as I trudged over to Sheldon, who was finishing our drinks.

  The blonde giggled and snuggled back up to Sheldon's side as we sat across from him and he handed over our drinks. "Long time, no see, Dalton," she purred, draping a skinny, tan leg over Sheldon's thigh. Her cleavage was busting out of her tight, black dress and I crossed my arms, suddenly feeling underdressed. Dalton gave her a chin nod before her eyes jumped to me. "I'm Megan," she said, giving me a cheerful smile and a wave. A sense of relief left me that she wasn't going to be rude to me. I introduced myself, shooting her a wave back.

  I brought the glass of strong liquid to my mouth before taking a sip and puckering up my lips. "Holy shit," I gasped, swallowing hard to keep it down.

  Sheldon laughed, smacking his leg, "Shit's potent, doll. I'm the best damn drink-master around this joint."

  Dalton grabbed the glass from my hand and took a drink. "Potent enough to kill a horse," he coughed. "I see you haven't eased up on your drinking, but let's try not to kill my girl."

  Sheldon raised a brow at Dalton calling me his girl at the same time I rubbed my hands together nervously. "So, you two never exactly told me how you know each other?" he questioned, circling his arms around Megan's bare thigh.

  "We work together," I answered, not giving away anything else.

  He drained the remainder of his drink and set it down on the table in front of us before pointing a finger at Dalton. "Already breaking the conflict of interest rule, my friend. I fucking like it."

  My lips formed a lackluster smile. Little did he know, Dalton was breaking more than one rule by being with me. I was terrified of the reaction his parents would have if they found out about us. I was positive my little outburst at lunch wasn't going to help my case, either.

  "Well, well, look who we've
got here," a piercing voice said from behind me. I whipped around in my seat at the same time a strong pair of hands wrapped around my shoulders and lifted me off the couch and into the air. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me you were coming, babe?" Tristan Eisles called out, wrapping me in his arms and squeezing me tight. “I’ve been trying to call you.”

  "I just found out," I breathed into his chest before pulling away, and feeling terrible. I’d been so busy with my new job and Dalton, I was slacking at keeping up with my other friends. He kept me at arm's length, taking me in and smiling. It'd been a few months since I'd last seen Tristan, right before he left to start his world tour. He'd changed his hair, and I wasn't sure if I liked it. The sides were shaved but he'd grown it out longer in the middle. A light scruff filled his cheeks and the bottom of his chin. A black, V-neck t-shirt showed off his vibrant-colored tattoo sleeves, and my eyes focused on a few I didn't recognize. I was going to kick his ass for not sending me pictures of them. Black jeans hung around his waist and he was wearing black, scuffed boots. Tristan Eisles gave no effort but still didn't fail to live up to his Sexiest Man Alive title.

  I glanced over my shoulder to see a grim-faced Dalton, and his eyes were piercing as he watched our exchange. "You two know each other?" he asked.

  Tristan grabbed my waist, dragging me to his side and pressing his lips to the top of my head. "Fuck yeah! Gabby's my number-one girl," he beamed, and everyone's attention was now on us. Just what I didn't need.

  "Bro, why do you always hide the hot girls from me?" Sheldon yelled our way and winced when Megan smacked his side. "Baby, you know I love you," he said, kissing her on the lips and she kissed him back, obviously not that angry with him.

  Tristan chuckled, shaking his head. "I see you've met my cousin, Sheldon." I nodded. His gaze turned to Sheldon. "You need to stay away from her," he warned, his eyes burning.

  Sheldon held up his hands. "Dude, I got my girl," he said, slapping Megan on the ass and she giggled. "But now, I'm curious on how you two know each other?" An eyebrow arched as he filled up his glass with straight vodka.

  "Gabby and I, we go way back," Tristan replied, grinning like I was his own personal secret. I felt his pocket vibrate and he fished his phone out. He glanced at the screen before looking down at me with a frown. "Shit, I got to go, but we need to catch up soon, okay?" I nodded and he kissed me on the cheek before disappearing from the room.

  I sat back down, ignoring the curious looks and a tight-lipped Dalton. "Why didn't you tell me you knew Tristan?" he asked, rubbing the nape of his neck.

  I shrugged, blowing out my cheeks. "I'm not really a bragger." I'd met a few celebrities through Lane, but I wasn't one of those people who went around airing it to the world. I was never a fan girl about any celebrities; they were just regular people to me. I didn't know Dalton was bringing me to Tristan's show, or I'd have told him before we got there.

  He huffed. "Well, a heads up would've been nice."

  I shifted around to face him. "Can we please turn the jealousy knob down a few notches? First, you're jealous of Asher, and now you're jealous of a damn rock star?" I would've been flattered of his jealousy if it wasn't toward two people I truly cared about.

  He pressed his hair back with both hands. "I'm not jealous. I was just curious on how you two knew each other. Not too many girls can say they know the most popular rock star out right now."

  I sighed; I hated having to explain myself. "We met at one of Lane's dad's parties a while back. When he comes into town, he hangs out with us sometimes." I shrugged my shoulders. "It's not a big deal. He's pretty cool." When I'd first met Tristan, I thought he was an arrogant asshole. But he and Lane were close, so he ended up ditching the main party and hanging out with us in Lane's basement. The more I got to know him, the more his true colors started to come out. He just wanted to be a normal guy sometimes. It was hard for him to be able to just relax and hang out with people because he wasn't sure whether they'd sell a story to the tabloids the next day for a couple extra dollars.

  "You surprise me more every day," Dalton said, grabbing his glass and taking a drink. "But it sucks."

  "What sucks?"

  "I just wanted to impress you, but it seems you're a hard one to impress, babe."

  I moved closer into him, our legs touching, and leaned into his side. "Buying me things or taking me to the hottest party or concert to impress me isn't what a girl like me wants. Anyone can buy flowers, candy or concert tickets, there’s more to romance than that.”

  His ocean-colored eyes widened in interest. "Then what does a girl like you want?" he asked, rubbing his hands down my arms, and I felt my muscles begin to tingle at his stolen touches.

  "It’s the little things we want. We want attention and when we’re not together, we like to know we’re still on your minds, whether that be random texts or phone calls. We want kisses just because the guy wants to kiss us, not because they want to get laid. We want them to stick up for us no matter what's on the line. We want someone who will fight for us." I thought back to my mom and Kenneth's relationship; I hated that he didn't stick up for her like he should. I knew he loved her, but he allowed his family to treat her horribly. I wanted a guy who would tell anyone who treated me terribly to go fuck themselves, and I’d do the same for them.

  His face lit up, and he leaned down to press his lips against mine. “I’ll try my absolute hardest to give you what you want, baby. I promise.” I believed him, too. As much as I was terrified of karma, I was beginning to think Dalton had the power to break me away from her grip.

  She kept surprising me. The fact she knew Tristan but didn't brag about it shocked me. Other girls I knew would've been bursting to divulge that information until they were blue in the face to impress me. Not Gabby. No, she didn't give a damn about any of that shit. She liked people for their character, not their status or what she could get out of them. She was nothing like my family, and I admired that.

  I blanketed my arms around her sensual body swaying to the sound of Tristan's voice blaring through the auditorium. I smiled, moving to the beat with her body as she sang along with the words and danced to the gyrating beat of the music.

  We were in the front row, but there was still plenty of space from the stage to our seats. A few people from the VIP room were close to us, but I'd allowed the music to drown them out and focused my attention on Gabby as soon as the show started. In my mind, we were alone.

  "You've ruined me, baby," I breathed into her hair, dragging the silky locks away from her shoulder and running my lips down her sweaty neck. I couldn't seem to be able to keep my hands off her.

  She glanced back at me, the color of her face changing as the disco lights swirled above us. "What do you mean?" she asked, her bright red lips curving up on one side. She knew exactly what I meant, but she wanted to hear me to say it.

  Before Gabby, I'd never known what it felt like to be able to just look at someone and smile for no damn reason. And that smile grew each growing minute I was around her. "You've fucking ruined me. I'll never be able to settle for someone who’s not you. You've taken over every thought that runs through my mind.” And that was going to be a huge fucking problem because I was set to marry someone who wasn't her. Gabby had climbed her way into my heart, thrown her bags down and decided she was moving in.

  Her tight, petite body twisted around so she was facing me. She leaned up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around my neck. Her five-foot frame was nowhere near my height, and I bent my neck to look down on the most beautiful face I'd ever laid eyes on. I wrapped my arms around her back, feeling like her protector, her shield.

  "You've ruined everything for me, too, you know," she replied, biting the side of her lower lip. She did that when she was nervous. "I've always thought I'd never find anyone who makes me feel the way you do, so wanted. I’ve never had anyone make me feel like I mattered.” Her green eyes glimmered against the bright, multi-colored lights on the stage behind her. The small smile morphed
into a giant one. "Not to mention, you've pretty much ruined orgasms for me. Now I know how good they can actually be, I'll never be able to settle for someone else doing a half-ass job."

  I couldn't hold back my laugh. "You have such a way with words, babe."

  She grinned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looking up at me. "I know."

  My hand inched up and traced the lining of her plump, juicy lips, my finger moving back and forth between them as her lips parted. She was begging me to kiss her. When I couldn't hold back any longer, I leaned down, grabbed her chin and kissed her hard.

  Our kiss was aggressive but passionate. Her mouth immediately opened, and our tongues danced against each other's to the rhythm of the music. My hand grazed her bare skin under the thin fabric of her top. She pulled away, her eyelashes fluttering as she blinked up at me and licked her lips. "Is it weird that I want you so bad right now?"

  Touching her skin had excited my cock, but her words made me fully alert. "If it is then I'm just as fucking weird, baby," I answered. I swear to God, the girl breathed by me and my dick would immediately get hard. "Turn around," I rasped out.

  She tilted her head to the side. "What?"

  I placed a knuckle on each shoulder, turning her body around swiftly so she was facing the stage again. I wrapped my arms around her lower waist, pushing my erection against her ass. I grinned as a ragged gasp escaped from her throat, and she pushed back against me. This was about to be the best concert in fucking history.

  I inched my hand back under her shirt, dipping it lower than before with anticipation. My middle finger moved back and forth between the seam of her shorts and her soft skin. My chest sunk in and my breath caught when she rotated her hips against me to the beat. She wasn't going to be playing fair tonight. And neither was I.

  I dipped my hand lower, moving my fingers under her waistband but still over the fabric of her lace panties. She danced against me faster, and my dick stirred as I began raining kisses down her jaw and moving my hand in circles over her lace panties on her clit. Her arm looped around my neck, bringing my mouth to hers as she kissed me. Moving the meager fabric out of my way, I dragged my hand through her wetness; she was fucking soaked. I heard the faint whimper from her hit my mouth as I began to message her clit gently.